Siesta Key or Anna Maria Island... or maybe Clearwater?

[Wendy31]

I’ve researched & researched & watched so many Youtube videos, &, now, I’m asking the DIS!

We are planning a anniversary trip for this May - 25 Years + 1 (our plans got cancelled last year due to the pandemic).

We’ll be spending 1 night on Jensen Beach (Atlantic side), 4 nights in the Keys, & then driving up the Gulf Coast on our way home, & we’re trying to decide where to stay for 2 nights for a “do nothing but lay on the beach” day -

Siesta Key

or

Anna Maria Island

We’ll arrive at whichever around dinnerish time, have the whole next day for the beach, & then will leave the next day.

At first, the plans were for Siesta Key.

However, we’d like somewhere on the beach, & I‘m having problems finding a 2-night rental on the beach in Siesta Key. It seems like a lot of the accommodations on Siesta Key are not right on the beach &, instead, a couple of blocks away.

So I’m thinking we may actually Anna Maria Island better?

Additionally, I’ve been reading that there are maybe more restaurants on Anna Maria Island.

We are very used to the Atlantic Coast side, so we’re looking for a wonderful beach on the Gulf Coast w/ the quintessential white sand & turquoise clear water - so, I guess, what I’m asking is are the beach & water at Anna Maria Island going to give us that?

I know about the special quartz sand on Siesta Key, & I’m okay w/ just plain white sand... but is the gulf water at Anna Maria Island as nice as it is at Siesta Key? Will we be disappointed?

We’re looking for a really relaxing beach day on a wonderful Gulf Coast beach for the end of our trip. A nice place for dinner would be nice as well.

(I’m not totally against Clearwater Beach either.)

Thank you!!

 

[NotUrsula]

I'd ask what kind of beach experience you want? Do you want great sand and no highrises? Do you want restaurants in walking distance?
Clubs with music?

FWIW, I can tell you that most of the properties on Sara Sea Circle on Siesta will do nightly rentals. That is the Crescent Beach area, which is much more residential than the beach at the north end of Siesta. (It has snorkeling, though!) The various little inns on Sara Sea Circle are not very luxe, and they don't directly face the water, but they are within 100 yards of the sand on a little side road, on the beach side of Midnight Pass Road. There are not many restaurants in the Crescent Beach area of Siesta; but there are a few, and if you drive up to St. Armand's circle and Siesta Beach proper there are a whole lot more.

 

[Wendy31]

I'd ask what kind of beach experience you want? Do you want great sand and no highrises? Do you want restaurants in walking distance?
Clubs with music?

FWIW, I can tell you that most of the properties on Sara Sea Circle on Siesta will do nightly rentals. That is the Crescent Beach area, which is much more residential than the beach at the north end of Siesta. (It has snorkeling, though!) The various little inns on Sara Sea Circle are not very luxe, and they don't directly face the water, but they are within 100 yards of the sand on a little side road. There are not many restaurants in the Crescent Beach area of Siesta; but there are a few, and if you drive up to St. Armand's circle and Siesta Beach proper there are a whole lot more.

We’re really only going to be there for one full day.

I don’t mind high-rises. I also don’t mind cottages & smaller inns/hotels. I do want nice accommodations though - clean & not dated/cramped/dark.

We’re only interested in outside dining. (We‘ve eaten at exactly one restaurant since last March, when the pandemic began, & that was outside in December in St. Augustine... so, for this May trip, while it’s not going to be out of my current comfort zone exactly, we’re still being careful. So, no clubs this time.)

Our top priority is a great beach experience - within easy walking distance of wherever we’re staying. If I could have a beach view from our room, that’d be even better.

Like I said, we are very used to the Atlantic Coast side, &, this time, we we’re looking for white sand & the clear, turquoise water.

 

[White Cat]

Lido Key. Certainly not Clearwater.

 

[HeatherC]

Have you looked at Boca Grande? Much less crowded, very laid back and very beautiful. Or Manasota Key too in Englewood.

 

[LysieLee]

I strongly recommend against Clearwater. Way to crowded and touristy.

Honestly, though most beaches in this area do have white sand, I wouldn't say it's the type of water you're looking for. The water along clearwater/redinginton/etc area is usually the deep blue/green/grey kind. If you want super clear/turquoise, I'd recommend much farther north, like Destin/Fort Walton.

 

[Pyotr]

I live about 10 minutes away from Anna Maria and about 30 from Siesta.

I would say Anna Maria is more “old Florida,” with little restaurants and shops. I would always take my daughter to watch the sunset when she was young. There are a few outside dining locations on Anna Maria that are directly on the beach. We frequent the Beach House and the Sand Bar. Neither are fine dining but the views cannot be beat.

Siesta is a little more touristy. When we have family in town we always go to Siesta. Siesta beach is by far the best beach I’ve ever been to. The sand is like baby powder on your feet.

As far as the water goes, it really all depends on the gulf. It can be clear or it can be murky. It’s too hard to predict, especially in late May.

 

[NotUrsula]

What I believe you are running into is the problem that, in an effort to keep Siesta quiet and mostly residential, the county has made the building of large hotels difficult, while welcoming condo developments. Like condos everywhere, the emphasis is on full-week rentals.
What "hotel-type" properties there are on the island are mostly older and smaller, and tend to cater to people who figure that days spent on the sand are a pretty casual sort of vacation, so very small onsite restaurants, no ballrooms to attract large party crowds, etc.

I would say that the properties on Sara Sea are clean for sure, and almost all of them have been renovated fairly recently, but are still limited-service properties with kitchen facilities and no dedicated bar service. (You certainly don't have to cook if you don't want to, as there are places to eat nearby, but we like to stop at the Publix on the other side of the bridge and pick up a bottle of wine for the evenings, and muffins for breakfast, so that we can get out to the water pretty early. Lunch and dinner we normally eat out.) These are converted Old Florida motels, mostly single-story. The nicest of them is probably the Capri, http://capriinternational.com/rooms-page/ The Capri has a very pretty courtyard that many guests like to sit out in of an evening once it gets too dark on the beach. (I don't have any business link with any of these properties; I just like the neighborhood.)

Sara Sea Circle is a tiny street that forms a circle on the gulf side of the major road that runs down the spine of Siesta Key. The resorts on it face toward the circle, but there is a private gate to the beach for the properties on the street. No view, but no busy road to cross to the beach, and a very short walk.

There is one truly high-end beach club property in that neighborhood, the Hyatt Residence Club, which is a time-share. They do offer nightly rates when they have vacancies, which is rare, but the units are very large, and are priced accordingly.

 

[ChickieToo]

St Pete Beach. The Don Cesar Hotel. Right on the beach. You can go back and forth from pool area which is right next to the beach. There is an outdoor restaurant the deck. Bar and food service at the pool.

Honestly, have no idea how this covid has impacted them, but a great place to just spend the day or more at the beach.

 

[tinkerdorabelle]

Not to hijack but any campgrounds in those areas on, or walkable to beach?

 

[NotUrsula]

I'm not a camping person, but I know that Ft. DeSoto (just south of St. Pete) has a very nice campground. It's quite popular, so I suspect it can be difficult to book space. Ft. DeSoto is actually a Pinellas County Park facility. http://www.pinellascounty.org/park/camping.htm#fortd

 

[Wendy31]

Have you looked at Boca Grande? Much less crowded, very laid back and very beautiful. Or Manasota Key too in Englewood.

Well, you’ve just given me something else to consider! The Gasparilla Inn & Club is lovely!

What I believe you are running into is the problem that, in an effort to keep Siesta quiet and mostly residential, the county has made the building of large hotels difficult, while welcoming condo developments. Like condos everywhere, the emphasis is on full-week rentals.
What "hotel-type" properties there are on the island are mostly older and smaller, and tend to cater to people who figure that days spent on the sand are a pretty casual sort of vacation, so very small onsite restaurants, no ballrooms to attract large party crowds, etc.

I would say that the properties on Sara Sea are clean for sure, and almost all of them have been renovated fairly recently, but are still limited-service properties with kitchen facilities and no dedicated bar service. (You certainly don't have to cook if you don't want to, as there are places to eat nearby, but we like to stop at the Publix on the other side of the bridge and pick up a bottle of wine for the evenings, and muffins for breakfast, so that we can get out to the water pretty early. Lunch and dinner we normally eat out.) These are converted Old Florida motels, mostly single-story. The nicest of them is probably the Capri, http://capriinternational.com/rooms-page/ The Capri has a very pretty courtyard that many guests like to sit out in of an evening once it gets too dark on the beach. (I don't have any business link with any of these properties; I just like the neighborhood.)

Sara Sea Circle is a tiny street that forms a circle on the gulf side of the major road that runs down the spine of Siesta Key. The resorts on it face toward the circle, but there is a private gate to the beach for the properties on the street. No view, but no busy road to cross to the beach, and a very short walk.

There is one truly high-end beach club property in that neighborhood, the Hyatt Residence Club, which is a time-share. They do offer nightly rates when they have vacancies, which is rare, but the units are very large, and are priced accordingly.

Yes, I think that’s it exactly - most of the truly beach-front properties on Siesta Key are condos w/ weekly rentals while we’ll just be there 2 nights.

So, what I can’t decide is if what I want to give up the beachfront lodging in order to experience Siesta Key or if we‘d be just as happy somewhere else where we can stay directly on the beach.